The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has announced an impressive revenue haul of ₦1.75 trillion in the first quarter of 2025, exceeding its quarterly target and marking a nearly 30% increase from the same period last year. Additionally, anti-smuggling operations led to the interception of contraband goods worth ₦7.7 billion, further underscoring the agency’s robust enforcement and operational efficiency.
Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, disclosed this during a quarterly press briefing held at the Service’s headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday. He attributed these achievements to the relentless efforts of customs officers across the country, as well as ongoing reforms under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the oversight of the Honourable Minister of Finance, Wale Edun.
The ₦1.75 trillion collected between January and March 2025 surpassed the quarterly target of ₦1.64 trillion by ₦106.50 billion, achieving 106.47% of projections. Compared to Q1 2024, when ₦1.35 trillion was collected, this represents a significant 29.96% growth.
Adeniyi said January emerged as the most productive month, generating ₦647.88 billion—a 65.77% year-on-year increase. February followed with ₦540.11 billion, while March brought in ₦563.52 billion.
The Comptroller-General emphasized that these gains reflect the Service’s crackdown on revenue leakages and its commitment to trade compliance.
He said the NCS recorded 298 seizures during the quarter, totaling ₦7.7 billion in Duty Paid Value (DPV). This marks a 78.41% increase over Q4 2024, although it represents a 19.70% decrease compared to Q1 2024, a shift attributed to improved compliance and deterrence.
Among the seized items, rice remained the most smuggled commodity, with 135,474 bags valued at ₦939.31 million. Other seizures included petroleum products (₦43.34 million), narcotics (₦730.75 million), and high-value wildlife products totaling a remarkable ₦5.65 billion. Textiles, retreaded tires, and pharmaceuticals also featured prominently in the enforcement tally.
“These seizures reflect our strategic emphasis on high-risk goods and our increasing reliance on intelligence-driven and technology-enabled operations,” Adeniyi noted.
Trade processing also showed strong growth, with 327,928 import transactions recorded—a 5.28% increase from Q1 2024. The CIF value of these imports reached ₦14.81 trillion, reflecting a 26.72% year-on-year increase. While export transactions dropped by 24.4%, the export volume rose sharply by 348% to 5.03 billion kg, with a stable CIF value of ₦21.51 trillion.
Total trade processed by the NCS for the quarter stood at a staggering ₦36.32 trillion, highlighting Nigeria’s expanding footprint in global trade despite economic headwinds.
CGC Adeniyi also said that the Service also launched several initiatives during the quarter, including the national rollout of the indigenous B’Odogwu customs clearance platform, the Authorized Economic Operators (AEO) programme for compliant businesses, and the “Customs Cares” Corporate Social Responsibility project—an initiative aimed at improving education, healthcare, and environmental sustainability across Nigeria.
He further stated that in line with federal food security policies, the NCS implemented import duty exemptions on essential staples such as maize, rice, and sorghum. These measures, valued at over ₦48.35 billion, have already contributed to food price reductions of between 12% and 18% nationwide.
“The combined effects of previous and current waivers have helped improve food affordability and supply, showing how customs policy can tangibly affect household welfare,” the CGC stated.
Despite these achievements, Adeniyi acknowledged persistent challenges, including fluctuating exchange rates—which averaged ₦1,521.59 per USD over 62 different rates in Q1—and uncertainty surrounding external tariffs, such as the 14% reciprocal tariff on Nigerian exports to the U.S.
He reaffirmed the Service’s commitment to modernization and transparency, stating that future efforts will prioritize technological advancement, efficient service delivery, and stakeholder engagement.
“In Q1 2025, we delivered on revenue, enforcement, trade facilitation, and social impact. We’re building a Customs Service that works for Nigeria—and we’re just getting started,” Adeniyi concluded.
